JEWS IN MUSICWestern classical music is an outgrowth of the Gregorian chant, which had its origins in the liturgical chants of the synagogue service.1 In modern times, Jews have played a major role in music as performers, conductors, and composers. Of the one hundred leading virtuoso performers of the twentieth century listed at http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/100players.htm, approximately two-thirds of the violinists, half the cellists, and forty percent of the pianists were, or are, Jews. Of the one hundred leading conductors of the twentieth century listed at http://www.muzieklijstjes.nl/100conductors.htm, approximately one-fourth were, or are, Jews. Among the leading classical composers, the Jewish representation is only about ten percent (cf., Great Composers). Jewish composers have, however, played a predominant role in both the development of the American musical theater and in the development of film music; approximately one-half of the membership of the Songwriters Hall of Fame is Jewish.
NOTES
- Jewish Orchestra Conductors
- Jewish Pianists
- Jewish Violinists
- Jewish Cellists
- Jewish Songwriters and Composers
- Jewish-Composed Broadway & Hollywood Musicals
- "Hebrew Melodies" (Songs by Jewish Songwriters)
- Some Actual Hebrew Melodies: (Music Video Clips)
- Jewish Recipients of the Academy Award for Best Original Song (51% of recipients)
- Jewish Recipients of the Academy Award for Best Musical Scoring of a Motion Picture (50% of recipients)
- Jewish Recipients of the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Musical Production (67% of recipients)
- Jewish Recipients of the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Original Score of a Musical (74% of recipients)
1. See, e.g., Beethoven's Anvil: Music in Mind and Culture, by William Benzon (Basic Books, New York, 2001, pp. 245-246, 260-261).
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